The Giant Co. grant program focuses on reducing food waste

For the third consecutive year, $300,000 will be awarded to projects that address food waste prevention, reduction and recovery across the mid-Atlantic U.S as part of The Giant Co.’s Healing the Planet grant program.

The Carlisle, Pa.-based retailer, in partnership with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, is awarding grant funding to projects in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia.

“In the past two years of our grant program and partnership with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, we have worked with dozens of grant recipients to make a difference in healing the planet by connecting families to green spaces and focusing on water conservation,” Jessica Groves, community impact manager at The Giant Co., said in a news release. “As a grocer, we are tackling the issue of food waste in our operations every day. Understanding that we all can make changes to divert food waste for our landfills, this year we are focusing on projects which specifically take steps to address this issue.”

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In the past two years that The Giant Co. has partnered with Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful to offer Healing the Planet grants, more than $800,000 was awarded to 87 recipients for projects that connected people and families to green spaces and improved or helped to protect local waterways and water resources.

“Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful is excited to learn about the many inventive ways food waste is being prevented, reduced and recovered,” Shannon Reiter, president of Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful, said in the release. “Not only do these types of projects save natural resources and reduce the amount of material that enters the waste stream, but they can also potentially provide food security to those in need. We are honored to continue our partnership with The Giant Co. to provide opportunities to make a difference in the efficiencies of food waste within our communities. We also want to thank all of you who ‘rounded up’ at the register. Your generosity will directly impact your local community.”

The 2023 Healing the Planet grant program is accepting applications through April 13 through the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful website. Projects must address food waste prevention, reduction or recovery and can include community composting, increased access to compost for agricultural producers, educational programs regarding food waste prevention, reduction and recovery, and diversion of food waste from landfills. Community gardens are eligible for funding but must have a food waste prevention, reduction or recovery component, such as education.

Award recipients will be announced in June, according to the release.